1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention concerns a suspension device for a hardware element such as a display screen or an assembly that includes several display screens in a medical imaging appliance.
2. Description of Related Art
Some medical imaging appliances include one or more display screens suspended from the ceiling of the operating room by means of a suspension device. The suspended screens allow a surgeon to display the anatomical images, such as vascular images of a patient for example, while performing a surgical operation.
The suspension device generally includes rails fixed to the ceiling, with a mobile carriage capable of sliding horizontally along the rails, and a telescopic arm, one end of which is connected to the carriage and another end is connected to the screens.
The telescopic arm has a variable length that allows adjustment of the height of the screens. To this end, the telescopic arm generally includes a motor-drive device, including a motor and an endless screw, used to vary the length of the arm.
By means of the system of rails and the mobile carriage, an operator is able to move the screens horizontally. To this end, the operator grasps a handle of the device and gives a push to the device so that the mobile carriage slides along the rails. The mobile carriage is stopped in its movement by end-stops placed at the ends of the rails.
However, when the carriage reaches the end-stops, the entire device can be subjected to large stresses. In particular, the shock generated by the entry into contact of the mobile carriage against the end-stops gives rise to bending stresses in the telescopic arm. These stresses are even higher when the arm is located in an extended position and the suspended screens are of significant weight. (The display screens can have a total weight of up to 150 kilograms).
The succession of shocks provoked by repeated operation of the suspension device causes rapid deterioration of the device. In particular, there is a high risk that the telescopic arm will break and that the display screens will fall.
Moreover, the oscillation of the arm that occurs during the movement of the carriage also creates bending stresses in the telescopic arm and is also the cause of damage to the arm.
In order to overcome these drawbacks, one solution that can be envisaged is to increase the size of the component parts of the device, meaning to provide overdimensioned parts so as to limit the risks of damage.
Such a solution is not totally satisfactory however, since it results in the design of a suspension device that is costly and bulky.